Beverages and other liquids intended for human consumption are routinely purchased and/or consumed at temperatures substantially above or, more often, below room or ambient temperature. This results in part from the fact that humans desire consumption of beverages at a temperature opposite that of their current environment. Accordingly, chilled beverages (e.g., soft drinks and beer) are more often consumed in warmer environments (e.g., summer months) and warmed beverages (e.g., hot chocolate and soups) are more often consumed in colder environments (e.g., winter months). Health concerns, such as spoilage from microbiological contamination, also contribute to efforts to manufacture, store and dispense beverages and consumable liquids at temperatures above or below room temperature.
While such beverages and liquids can simply be chilled in a refrigerator or heated in a microwave oven to obtain a desired temperature for consumption, humans typically desire to consume such beverages over an extended period of time and in a manner which allows them to take part in activities remote from such modern heating and cooling devices. For example, while soft drinks, water, beer and the like can be chilled prior to consumption in a cooler containing ice during outdoor activities (e.g., outdoor sports events), once the beverage is removed from the cooler, the heat from the surrounding environment will fairly quickly raise the temperature of the beverage to a point where it is no longer desirable. This scenario also requires frequent replenishment of the ice in the cooler. Likewise, the removal of a portion of a heated beverage (e.g., removing a cup of hot chocolate from a thermal insulating container, such as a Thermos.RTM.) at a outside winter sporting event will result in a fairly rapid decrease in the temperature of the beverage, quickly reducing its desirability.
The addition of ice directly to a beverage is likewise of limited utility since the ice melts and dilutes the beverage, altering its taste and desirability. The inevitable dilution and altering of taste caused by the melting ice is particularly undesirable with chilled beverages such as teas (especially sweetened and/or flavored tea) and alcoholic beverages, such as beer.
The foregoing has provided the impetus for the development of a number of modern devices designed to store and/or dispense beverages and other liquids at temperatures above or below ambient temperature. Many of these devices are containers or holders which include insulating qualities in an effort to extend the time a beverage remains cold or hot. Most are constructed of a foam material which is designed to inhibit the transfer of heat through it. By encasing the beverage container in this material, the inevitable exchange of heat between the beverage and the surrounding environment is slowed. Others prior art devices are designed to encase the beverage container and provide a layer of dead air surrounding the container such that heat exchange is retarded. While certain of these devices have achieved a modicum of success, they all suffer to some extent from common disadvantages. For example, each of the above-identified devices require the beverage or liquid container be chilled or heated prior to use of the device. In other words, these devices merely attempt to maintain a desired temperature reached via some other device (e.g., refrigerator or oven).
Accordingly, there has been developed containers which can be heated or chilled directly before receiving a beverage container. While these designs offer certain advantages over the prior art devices discussed above, they still suffer from size, expense and limited-purpose disadvantages. For example, many of the prior art containers which can be chilled are bulky and cumbersome to handle. Additionally, since the entire containing device is chilled, exterior surfaces (e.g., handles, outer surfaces) contacted by humans are chilled as well, making the handling and consumption of the chilled beverage within them difficult and/or uncomfortable. Finally, most such prior art devices are incapable of receiving beverage or liquid containers of various sizes, severely limiting their utility.
In view of the above, it is clear that there remains a need for an inexpensive, adjustable and relatively simple device capable of containing a beverage or consumable liquid and producing, as well as maintaining for extended periods of time, a desired temperature for such beverage or liquid. Such an ideal container preferably would be constructed such that it is capable of receiving beverage or liquid containers of a variety of sizes and shapes and would also be reusable. It would thus be a marked advance over the prior art to provide such a container which does not exhibit the use, complexity and expense concerns associated with the prior art.